Guard-rail clamp.



UNITED EDWARD G. SCRUGGS, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

GUARD-RAIL CLAMP.

Application filed August 27. 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. Seances, citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guard-Rail Clamps, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention has for its object, a simple and durable construction of clamp for guard rails, which may be easily applied to hold the guard rail securely in proper relationto a main rail, and the invention consists in oer tain constructions, arrangements, and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of two rails with my improved guard rail clamp applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sec-V tional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5% is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 41 is a detail perspective view of a block employed.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the yoke bar of my invention, said yoke bar being formed at one end with a jaw 2 which is formed with a recess as indicated at 3 for the reception of a base flange of the guard rail and which is recessed at its upper end as indicated at 4 to accommodate the head portion of said rail. The yoke bar 1 is formed at its opposite end with a aw 5, said jaw being provided in its inner face with a ledge or overhanging portion 6 which produces a recess 7 underneath the same or between it and the base portion of the yoke bar 1. The recess 7 is designed to receive the base member 8 of a block 9, said block being adapted to fit against the outer side of the main rail and being formed with a recess 10 to receive the ledge or overhanging portion 6 of the jaw 5. The block 9 is provided with an outwardly projecting cap plate 11 designed to rest upon the top of the ledge 6 and upper surface of the jaw 5, the ledge fitting snugly in between said cap plate and the base member 8 of the block. The cap plate 11 is formed with openings 12 in regis- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Serial No. 450,486.

try with openings 13 formed in the aw 5, said last named openings communicating with the upper ends of the downwardly extending and preferably downwardly diverging slots 14 formed in the inner face of the jaw 5.

Wedge shaped keys 15 are adapted to he slipped downwardly into the openings 13 and slots 1% into engagement with the beveled face 16 of the base member 8 of the block 9, so as to wedge between said block and jaw and hold the block tightly in engagement with the main rail, any jar upon the rails being communicated to the wedges and serving therefore to automatically insure that the wedges will drift at all times downwardly and hold the yoke bar tightly clamped to the guard rail and main rail so as to maintain said rails, at all times, in proper rigid relation to each other.

In order to prevent any accumulations of dirt or the like from causing the keys to work upwardly, the said keys may be provided with a series of holes 17 for cotter pins as clearly illustrated in the drawings.

The base portion of the yoke bar 1 is widened on one side as indicated at 18 and wedges 19 are designed to be slipped downwardly through openings in this widened portion between the two rails, said wedges being intended to be driven down tightly against the edges of the rails in case the rails spring or are crooked. These wedges 19 may be held securely in position by means of cotter pins or similar fastening devices.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A guard rail clamp, comprising a yoke bar provided at its ends with jaws, one of said jaws being formed with an overhanging ledge and in its inner face with slots opening at the upper surface of the jaw, a block adapted to abut against the inner face of said jaw and formed with a base member adapted to fit underneath the ledge, said block being also provided with a cap plate adapted to rest upon the upper surface of said jaw, the cap plate being formed with openings in registry with said slots, and keys designed for insertion through said openings into said slots, whereby to wedge between the opposing faces of the block and aw.

2. A guard rail clamp, comprising a yoke bar provided at its ends with jaws, one of said jaws being formed with openings extending downwardly therein from its upper surface and also formed in its inner face with slots communicating with said openings, a block adapted to fit against the inner face of said jaw and provided with a cap plate adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the aw said cap plate being formed with openings registering with the openings in the jaw, and wedges designed for insertion through said openings into the slots whereby to wedge between the opposing faces of the jaw and block.

3. A guard rail clamp, comprising a yoke bar provided at its end with jaws, one of said jaws being formed with an overhanging ledge and with openings extending downwardly from its upper surface, said jaw be I i l ing also formed in its inner face with slots communicating with said openings a block formed with a base member that fits underneath the ledge and against the inner face of said jaw, said base member being formed with beveled faces in registry with said slots, and wedges adapted to be slipped downwardly through said openings into said slots into engagement with said beveled faces.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of-two witnesses.

his EDWARD e. X seauees. [14.8.]

mark 5;: \Vitnesses B. BALLARD, J. IV. VAUGHAN. 

